How to get started homeschooling? Welcome to Healthy Family Homeschool Fun; where we help other homeschoolers in their journey on health and homeschooling by sharing our own journey. In this article there are three main areas that I want I want to cover for you and they are: how to do homeschooling anywhere, at any age, and the most important – you are qualified to do this.
I want to clarify one thing first and that is that we live in the
Another point I would like to cover right here in the beginning is the definition of homeschooling. I know that may seem a little odd, but it has value in that definitions provide perspective. Let’s just change the question posed in the article title to, “how to home school…”? It is very subtle to separate the word homeschool, but it is empowering to know that simply by having the desire and direction that if you are teaching your kids at home you’re homeschooling. Some of you may be wondering how to become a homeschool teacher, you can do that. You are just as good a teacher as any; in fact, you are the best teacher for your child. I know that is a bold statement, but it’s true. You may need some help and we hope to provide you with the necessary tools and resources. We’ll even break things down into age groups her is a little bit.
Before we get there though I want to tell you that we have found that if you can answer one question, you will be able to face almost any challenge you may encounter. And that question is – why homeschool? You can read our “why” here, but I want to encourage you to clearly decide what your “why” is as an essential component of your homeschooling journey.
Where to Begin
How to start homeschooling begins with knowing your “why”. I don’t mean to harp on this but so many people want to know details like how much does homeschooling cost or what curriculum to use. These are important questions for sure, but they won’t give you the foundation to overcome obstacles. In fact, those other questions can be stumbling blocks before you even get started. But beyond that I would encourage you to have a support system in place. This can be as simple as getting your family excited about starting this adventure we call homeschooling. You can use us as a support or local homeschool groups which you can find. You can find some of those resources in your state link below.
Get You Children Involved
Homeschoolers are a diverse group and we have seen families begin homeschooling at many different ages. We’ve been homeschooling for about a decade and found that our children are very intuitive in what they need and what they want.
One concern that people have is the social aspect of homeschooling and most homeschoolers know that a child that is use to interaction with people of all ages are more adapt, in general, than those that interact almost exclusively with only their own peer group. However; our children also interact with their specific peer group in church, sports, and other activities. It isn’t uncommon for them to get questions from their peers about how to be homeschooled. This can be a real head scratcher for a young child if you haven’t made them aware of the environment is which you’ve provided.
They need to know that they are in a learning environment that is constant, different, and safe. They need to be an active participant. And they’ll know how to get homeschooled, because they are part of the entire process.
When your child is able to share their experience as a homeschooler don’t be surprised when you start getting questions from other parents and it will be a welcomed question, because you will know that your child answered in a way that made another child interested enough to bring it up with their parent. You will see the concept of life is an education in action.
How does homeschooling work - it isn’t a mystery. As I mentioned before and will mention again – it is an adventure and one that you and your children can share with joy and excitement.
Age Specific Homeschooling
The question “how to homeschool my child” is a common one. If you know why you want to homeschool the next question I would ask is how old your child or children are. The reason is obvious – it's different to homeschool kindergarten then homeschooling 4th grade.
You want to be able to help your child achieve their potential at every intellectual developmental stage. In the
You will notice that there are intellectual leaps from preschool to second grade and then things slow down, although there is a lot of foundation skills developed during the elementary years. During middle school a lot of social growth occurs and conceptual learning. Intellect is not stagnant by any means, but there is a shift where their foundational intellect becomes more solidified and problem solving is accelerated. The next increase is during the high school years when your child should transition into a scholar. Having all the skills to be an independent learner and direct their own intellect. The representation does not reflect as near the intellectual growth from the preschool years during high school, but it could be just as sharp at this point moving forward into adulthood.
As a result of these intellectual growth phases you can see grades being grouped together. For more detail choose from the links below.
State Regulations
How do you start homeschooling begins with the state you live in. Each state varies in their regulations on homeschool and so we’ve put together the information you will need to get started. We won’t be doing a comparison study of homeschool vs public school in each state, but if you are familiar with the public school system of your state you will be able to recognize differences with the information and resources provided. You can also visit the Home School Legal Defense Association for additional information.
So if you want to know how to start homeschooling in Texas
You Can Homeschool Your Child
When someone approaches you and asks, "how do I homeschool my child", We hope that you will answer with confidence that you were once in the position and understand their apprehension. But not only are you able to do it, but they can to. Invite them on the journey, give them all the help and encouragement they need. Help them understand that they need to begin with the end in mind or rather have a clearly define "why". If your the one just getting started now, we understand what you're going through. We were once in your position and if faced with that decision again we would jump at the opportunity to homeschool, because it has brought much joy into our home and love that we have been able to have the greatest influence on our children in every aspect of their lives.
How do you homeschool? If you are a homeschooling family, share in the comments below, we love to hear from you.